Flexible dispensing container assemblies



June 15, 1965 .1-1. BALKEMA ETAL 3,189,071

FLEXIBLE DISPENSING CONTAINER ASSEMBLIES Filed May 51, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I I INVENTORS ELMER HENRY EAL/(EMA l4 S and BY PAUL A. MARCHANT /2m, WM/MM ATTOENEYS June 15, 1965 H. BALKEMA ETAL 3,139,071

FLEXIBLE DISPENSING CONTAINER ASSEMBLIES I Filed May 31, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5| V 51 22 l 2| :2? 32 g: pjf zx I 34 35 53 38 25 I9 33 n 4: 39 )9 I l "7 42 I I i 7 t 7 37 I I I3 INVENTORS ELMER HENRY EAL/(EMA and BY P404, A. MARCHANT ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,189,071 FLEXIBLE DISPENSMG CONTAINER ASSEMBLIES Elmer Henry Balkema, Sparta, N.J., and Paul A.

Merchant, Kansas City, Mo., assignors to Consolidated Thermoplastics Company, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 31, 1963, Ser. No. 284,407 (Ilaims. (Cl. 150-.5)

This invention relates to dispenser container assemblies having locally deformable flexible body walls and is particularly directed to special closure attachment arrangements for such containers.

It has become common practice to package certain materials in powder or granular form in throwaway dispensing containers that are formed of flexible plastic. Usually these plastic containers are molded into the form of an open end bottle, the contents added, and a molded plastic closure element secured over the opening. Flexible walled containers have proved practically superior to stiff-walled containers because the latter tend to crack and rupture. However difficulties have been encountered in maintaining closure elements on flexible walled containers because deformation of the flexible body wall, as by pres: sure of the hand of the operator, may so distort the container around the opening that it will separate from the closure element and permit leakage of the contents, or even cause the closure element to become entirely detached from the container.

Considerable effort has been made to solve the problem and prior to the invention the efliciency of attachment of closure elements to flexible walled containers was improved, but it has always been considered necessary to very accurately form the interlocking portions of both the container and closure and hold all dimensions within closure tolerances. This required forming both the container and closure by injection molding which requires relatively expensive equipment.

The present invention provides a manner of substantially unremovable attachment of closure elements to flexible wall containers that does away with the necessity of injection molding the container, which may be formed by the normally less expensive process of blow molding wherein the plastic is formed by internal pressure to the contour of a surrounding mold defining the outer surface of the molded article.

It is the major object of this invention to provide a novel flexible container assembly wherein the flexible container body has a special shoulder and rim structure adapted for snap-on non-removable engagement with a dual skirted stiffer cover.

It is another object of the invention to provide a novel container assembly wherein the open end of a flexible wall plastic container is integrally formed with a longitudinally facing inclined external shoulder and a radially inwardly inclined rim adapted for snap-on engagement with a dual skirted flexible but stiffer plastic cover extending over'the open end of the container body.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel flexible walled container assembly wherein the open end of the container body has a special snap-fit interlock with a dual skirted cover and the outer skirt merges smoothly with the outer container body surface to minimize accidental or intentional removal of the cover.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel plastic container assembly having an open end closed by a snap-on non-removable cover wherein the neck of the container body around said open end has an outwardly inclined section defining a longitudinally facing shoulder adapted to coact with an internal bead on the outer cover skirt and extending from the body wall to an inwardly inclined rim around said open end.

3,189,071 Patented June 15, 1965 It is another object of the invention to provide in a container assembly a flexible container ,body having a novel open end neck structure wherein successive radially outwardly and inwardly inclined integral annular sections around the neck opening are adapted to oppositely rock during deformation of said neck structure during snap-on interfit with a dual skirted closure mounted over said opening. 7

' Further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds in connection with the appended claims and the annexed drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation, partially in section, showing a container with a top closure element thereon, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary top plan view showing the container of FIGURE 1;

FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 are enlarged fragmentary sectional views substantially at lines 33 of FIGURE 2 showing the interlocking portions of the closure element and container in three successive steps of attachment of the closure element to the body of the container; and

FIGURES 6 and 7 are enlarged similar fragmentary sectional views showing the interlocking portions of a closure element and container in successive assembly steps according to a further embodiment of the invention.

The invention will now be described in its preferred embodiment of FIGURES 1-5 wherein the bottle-like container body 11 has secured thereto a top closure element 12.

(Dontainer body 11 is an integral structure preferably formed by blow molding of a suitable tough resilient plastic that is impervious and inert with respect to its contents. Body 11 may also be formed by other molding practices such as vacuum, compression or injection molding but blow molding is preferred as less expensive and entirely adequate. Body 111 is preferably composed of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride or some such material having equivalent properties for the purpose.

Polyethylene blow molding techniques are well known and considerably advanced, and the container walls are all substantially of the same thickness, although being slightly thicker Where the body diameter is smaller, a resilient annular side wall 13 arising from bottom wall 14 and terminating in a neck structure surrounding a top opening 16.

This neck structure is more advantageously shown in FIGURES 35 wherein the upper end portion 17 of annular body side wall 13 slopes inwardly at about 10 to 40, preferably about 20 as shown, to the axis of the body to provide a conical outer body surface 1% converging toward the open top of the container body.

At the upper end of wall portion 17 the integral neck structure slopes reversely sharply outwardly at about 20 to 40, and preferably about 30 as shown, to the horizontal to form a relatively short annular section 19 defining an annular longitudinally facing external inclined shoulder and then again reverses its direction to form an inwardly inclined longitudinally extending rim portion 21 that is substantially parallel to upper body wall portion 17. Rim 2i and particularly outer surface 22?. thereof incline at 10 to 40, preferably 30 as shown, from the vertical.

The outer annular surface of rim 21 is of smooth substantially conical contour at 22. and at its upper end intersects the fiat annular top face 23 of the container which preferably lies in a plane perpendicular to the container axis. The annular outer surface 24 of shoulder 19 extends at the angle described above between the conical surfaces 18 and 22 and is smoothly joined thereto by reversely curved regions 25 and 26 respectively so that there are no sharp corners.

The inner substantially conical surface 27 of body wall portion 17 is joined to the inner surface of shoulder 19 by a smoothly rounded region 29 which appears within the container as an inwardly projecting rib, and the upper end of the substantially conical inner surface 30 of rim 21 intersects planar face 23 in a sharp edge 31 which surrounds the-container opening.

As shown in FIGURES 3 and the sharp edge 31 and the rib surface 29 of the relaxed container body lie essentially in a cylindrical envelope centered on the container axis before and after the closure element 12 has been snapped onto the container body.

Closure element 12 is an integral molded resilient plastic structure also of polyethylene or the like similar to the body 11 but of sufficiently greater wall thickness to be relatively stif. It comprises a central cover port-ion 32 and dual closely spaced outer edge continuous anriular skirts 33 and 34.

The inner skirt 33 is the longer and it is a cylindrical annulus projecting at right angles to the cover, having a smooth cylindrical outer surface 35 intersecting the interior of the cover in a sharp corner at 36, and terminating in an inwardly rounded beveled annual end face 37.

The outer skirt 34 is internally formed with an inwardly projecting rounded surface rib 38 and a downwardly and outwardly sloping conical surface 39 that extends from rib 38 to the lower flat end 41 of skirt 34. The diameter of cover rib 38 is less than the diameter of the body shoulder at 25.

The wall thickness of closure element 12 at cover 32 and skirts 33 and 34 is materially greater than that of container body 11, whereby neither skirt 33 or 34 is appreciably distorted when the closure element is attached to the container.

As shown best in FIGURES 3-5, the container wall is formed at the bottom of portion 17 with an annular flat horizontal ledge 42 that lies below the cover skirt end 41 in the assembly, and the dimensions are such that the outer surfaces of the container wall and skirt 34 merge to provide a smooth substantially continuous outer surface contour in the container assembly as illustrated in FIGURE 5.

In the assembly the cover wall 32 is formed with a series of pour apertures 43, normally closed by a patch of easily removable pressure sensitive tape 44.

Cover 12 is easily snapped into substantially permanent non-removable position upon container 11, as shown in the sequence of FIGURES 3-5.

Referring to FIGURE 3 it will be seen that the longer inner skirt 33 functions as a guiding or piloting skirt for centering the cover during attachment to the container body and this is further aided by the annular mouth structure defined by the oppositely diverging skirt surfaces 37 and 39. This is particularly useful for automatic filling apparatus wherein speed of assembly is essential to efiicient operation.

As the cover 12 moves longitudinally with respect to the container, edge 31 and rib 29 of the body will slidably engage and move along the outer surface 35 of inner skirt 33 until the similarly inclined conical surfaces 22 and 39 abut. It will be seen that the outer diameter of horizontal rim face 23 is preferably less than that of rib 38 on the closure so that there is no such axial abutment as will oppose the assembly.

As the closure element 12 moves onto the container, in the intermediate position of FIGURE 4, surface 39 of the relatively stiff outer skirt 34 exerts a camming action on the container rim at surface 22, which results in the annular body shoulder 19 rocking essentially clockwise about the bearing point of rib 29 with inner skirt surface 35, with at the same time rim 21 rocking counterclockwise about its juncture with shoulder 19, rim 21 and shoulder 19 being temporarily deformed as shown in FIG- URE 4 until surface 22 passes rib 38.

During this action, inner skirt 33 does not appreciably bend or otherwise deform, although the outer skirt 34 may be slightly rocked outwardly about its juncture with cover 32 as exaggeratively shown in FIGURE 4. Both skirts 33 and 34 are however sufiiciently stiff and the container neck structure so relatively flexible that there is no effective bending of the skirts about their junctures with cover 32.

When the parts assume the position of FIGURE 5, which is the final assembly, the shoulder end 25 and rim 21 have now effectively passed beyond rib 38, and they resiliently act to tend to regain their relaxed condition of FIGURE 3 but confined by the closure element skirt structure. The opposite rounded shoulder end regions 26 and 29 frictionally engage the cover skirts above the level of rib 38, and as can be seen in FIGURE 5 any axial movement of cover 12 relative to body 11 will result in cover skirt rib 38 acting on the underside of shoulder 19 to tend to rock shoulder 19 clockwise, but such will be opposed and prevented by the engagement of rim edge 31 with inner skirt 33.

Due to the fact that outer cap skirt face 41 substantially seats on body ledge 42 with the cap skirt and body merging into the same shape and diameter at that point, there are no projections which might enable skirt 34 to he accidentally or intentionally rocked away from the body wall to disengage rib 38 from shoulder 19.

When the flexible wall 13 is distorted as by the operator squeezing it, it is apparent that different forces are exerted at the neck structure at different regions therearound. These forces may be generally regarded in two major groups.

One, acting in the direction of the squeeze, usually tends to displace the neck structure inwardly, to the right in FIGURE 5. This merely results in shoulder 19 rocking counterclockwise about its bearing on the inner skirt 33 and seating more solidly on outer skirt rib 38.

The other, acting at right angles to the squeeze, usually tends to displace the neck structure outwardly, to the left in FIGURE 5, and this also more solidly engages shoulder 19 and outer skirt rib 38.

Thus cover 12 is effectively non-removably engaged with container body 11. In use the strip 44 is peeled away to dispense the contents of the container through apertures 43.

FIGURES 6 and 7 illustrate a further embodiment of the invention. Here the flexible plastic container body 51 has around its open upper end an inwardly inclined body wall 52 surrounded by a ledge 53 and formed at its upper end with reversely outwardly and inwardly inclined sections defining a shoulder 54 and a rim 55 similar to shoulder 19 and rim 21 of the other embodiment.

The cover 56 of this embodiment has integral closely spaced dual skirts 57 and 58 formed at their lower ends respectively with annular outwardly and inwardly inclined surfaces 59 and 61 respectively. The outer skirt is the longer and surface 59 is axially below surface 61.

At the upper end of surface 59 skirt 57 is formed with a rib 62 which effectively projects into the space between the skirts.

The outer surface 63 of rim 55 is inclined similarly to surface 59 so that when they abut in axial assembly of the cover and container body the body shoulder 54 is rocked clockwise, and since the inner diameter of rim 55 is less than the outer diameter of surface 61 the inner rim edge 63 will slide along inclined surface to tend to rock rim 55 clockwise. Thus in this embodiment there is the same opposite rocking of the shoulder and rim during assembly by virtue of sliding engagement with the dual cover skirts, and the body neck structure will tend to relax and assume its original condition when the rim 5'5 passes rib 62 into the FIGURE 7 position. The external rounded surface at the juncture of the shoulder and rim frictionally engages the outer skirt adjacent rib 62.

In this embodiment there is the additional feature of inner skirt 58 being formed around its juncture with the cover with an undercut groove 64 facing the outer skirt, and in the assembly the contracting rim edge 63 snaps into this groove. Any attempt to axially separate the cover 56 (from container body 51 will be resisted by engagement of shoulder 54 with rib 62 and engagement of the upper end of rim 55 in groove 64, and any squeezing of the container body will result only in exerting forces tending to urge shoulder 54 and/ or the inner edge of rim 55 into more solid engagement with the cover skirts.

The foregoing structures of FIGURES 1-7 may also be used for the bottoms of containers having integral top walls, and the dispensing apertures may be in the top or bottom walls in either embodiment.

The invention may :be embodied in other specific dorms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics therefore. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing descniption, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a plastic container assembly having a flexible walled hollow container body with a top opening closed by a closure member, said closure member being substantially non-removable from the body once assembled thereto, wherein:

(a) the upper end of the Wall of the container body being necked inwardly in the form of an inwardly directed peripheral flange having an upwardly and inwardly directed first conical wall integral with an inner extremity of the flange,

(b) a second flange integral with and extending sharply from the upper extremity of said first conical wall,

() a second conical Wall extending upwardly and inwardly from and integral with the outer extremity of said second flange, said second conical w all terminating at an upper edge defining said body top opening,

(d) said closure member including:

(1) a substantially planar top portion suflicient in size to cover said body top opening and posiltioned above the upper edge of the second conical Wall,

(2) an outer skirt integral with and depending downwardly from the periphery of said closure top portion,

(3) an inwardly projecting rib on the inner vface of said outer skirt, said rib being engaged beneath said second container flange when the closure is assembled on the container,

(4) an inner sklir't integral with and depending downwardly from the underside of said closure top portion and terminating at a lower edge,

said skirts being concentric and spaced from each other a distance only suflicient to receive the upper end of the container wall axially therebetween with minimum distortion of the skirts and an axial distortion of said second container flange to reduce the radial dimension of the flange. 2. In a plastic container assembly according to claim 1 wherein said container body, prior to assembly of said closure thereon includes:

(a) said first conical wall is inclined inwardly be tween about 10-40 from the vertical, (b) said second flange is inclined upwardly between about 40 from the horizontal, and (c) said second conical wall is inclined inwardly between about 10-40 from the vertical. 3. In a plastic container assembly according to claim 2 wherein:

(a) said first conical wall is inclined inwardly about 20 20 from the vertical,

(b) said second flange is inclined upwardly about 30 from the horizontal, and ('c) said second conical \wall is inclined inwardly about from the vertical.

4. In a plastic container assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

(a) said inner skirt extends downwardly below the lower extremity of said outer skirt.

5. In a plastic container assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

(a) bhe inner and outer surfaces of each of said first and second conical walls and said second flange are substantially parallel to each other,

(b) said upper edge of the second conical wall defines the body top opening of about the same size as the opening defined by the upper inner edge of the first conical wall, so that the last mentioned edges are simultaneously engaged against the closure inner skirt while the outermost edge of said second flange is engaged against the inwardly projecting rib of the closure outer skirt during initial assembly of the closure on the container, and,

(c) said container second flange is flexed and rotated upwardly and inwardly in passing axially between the outer skirt rib and the inner skirt, during assembly of the closure on the container, thereby reducing the radial dimension of said second flange.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A PLASTIC CONTAINER ASSEMBLY HAVING A FLEXIBLE WALL HOLLOW CONTAINER BODY WITH A TOP OPENING CLOSED BY A CLOSURE MEMBER, SAID CLOSURE MEMBER BEING SUBSTANTIALLY NON-REMOVABLE FROM THE BODY ONCE ASSEMBLED THERETO, WHEREIN: (A) THE UPPER END OF THE WALL OF THE CONTAINER BODY BEING NECKED INWARDLY IN THE FORM OF AN INWARDLY DIRECTED PERIPHERAL FLANGE HAVING AN UPWARDLY AND INWARDLY DIRECTED FIRST CONICAL WALL INTEGRAL WITH AN INNER EXTREMITY OF THE FLANGE, (B) A SECOND FLANGE INTERGRAL WITH AND EXTENDING SHARPLY FROM THE UPPER EXTREMITY OF SAID FIRST CONICAL WALL, (C) A SECOND CONICAL WALL EXTENDING UPWARDLY AND INWARDLY FROM AND INTEGRAL WITH THE OUTER EXTREMITY OF SAID SECOND FLANGE, SAID SECOND CONICAL WALL TERMINATING AT AN UPPER EDGE DEFINING SAID BODY TOP OPENING, (D) SAID CLOSURE MEMBER INCLUDING: (1) A SUBSTANTIALLY PLANAR TOP PORTION SUFFICIENT IN SIZE TO COVER SAID BODY TOP OPENING AND POSITIONED ABOVE THE UPPER EDGE OF THE SECOND CONICAL WALL, (2) AN OUTER SKIRT INTEGRAL WITH AND DEPENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE PERIPHERY OF SAID CLOSURE TOP PORTION, (3) AN INWARDLY PROJECTING RIB ONE THE INNER FACE OF SAID OUTER SKIRT, SAID RIB BEING ENGAGED BENEATH SAID SECOND CONTAINER FLANGE WHEN THE CLOSURE IS ASSEMBLED ON THE CONTAINER, (4) AN INNER SKIRT INTEGRAL WITH AND DEPENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID CLOSURE TOP PORTION AND TERMINATING AT A LOWER EDGE, SAID SKIRT BEING CONCENTRIC AND SPACED FROM EACH OTHER A DISTANCE ONLY SUFFICIENT TO RECEIVE THE UPPER END OF THE CONTAINER WALL AXIALLY THEREBETWEEN WITH MINIMUM DISTORTION OF THE SKIRTS AND AN AXIAL DISTORTION OF SAID SECOND CONTAINER FLANGE TO REDUCE THE RADIAL DIMENSION OF THE FLANGE. 